Home Made Rifle Blanks

[Kentucky Colonel]

I saw this from Contemporary Longrifle Association. A fellow named Sean Weddel posted it. 
He had received a free stack of wood and cut it into rifle blanks. 

I thought it was nice to see all of them.

"Found out the past few days that cutting stock blanks is a lot of work. No wonder they're so expensive 

. 
Got 25 out of a pile of slabs I almost turned down. Most are only 2" to 2 1/4" though, and I haven't even 
planed them. I wish they where a bit thicker." - Sean Weddel

I wondered how you could be certain it was dry/seasoned enough to be dependable 
if you did find a bunch of possible wood?

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

In related news, I also found this interesting. Also from CLA. 

"My version of a Gibbs using hardware from a TC Hawken .45 I followed Ron Kilmes lead on paper patching conicals. I was so impressed with it except for the brass butt plate kicking my bad shoulder I decided I wanted a recoil pad. I pulled out a billet of a Black Walnut that I cut 30 years ago and started laying out and chopping. I don't consider myself a rifle builder but you have to start somewhere. I'm having a real blast with this project. Next step is a new trigger guard." - Christopher Yuro

 

[patocazador]

Beautiful stock. That blank he had was worth some big $$. Over 10 years ago my MIL sold a black walnut chest of drawers that was painted over and looked like crap. They gave her $250 for it to use the black walnut for veneers. She probably could have got more if she knew what the stuff was worth.

A fellow in Indiana planted 20 black walnut trees when he got married. By the time his kids were ready for college, he cut one that had been there for a while before he bought the land. Several outfits bid on it before it was cut and he made enough to send his kids through college. The 20 he planted will send his grandkids to college.

 

[exMember]

No kidding that's a beautiful stock! I wonder if he glass scraped that stock or used sand paper? Looks super clean.

 

[Marty1]

Awesome stock!

Black Walnut is an absolutely beautiful wood on a firearm.  I had a 30-30 Marlin 336C with it.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

My Granny-in-law... a sweet woman... had to move to live with her daughter due to age.
Her house was only about 3,000 yards away. I walk to it through the woods all the time 
when in Tennessee. 

It had a very old, very large, mature black walnut in the yard next to the house. Thieves came in 
and cut it down. The theft was discovered when the grand daughter went to pick up walnuts for the 
household. No one saw/knew a thing and the ladies did not know its full value at the time. So, it was 
not even reported. 

I learned of it some time afterward and was sick about it. I can't see a nice black walnut stock
and not think about it before moving on. But, I mourn the loss of that tree and curse the 
scoundrels to this day. Who steals from little old ladies? Seriously! 

Granny passed at 104 years old. She may have died younger than that tree.

 

[patocazador]

There's a ring of tree thieves that operate in the Northwest They mainly steal maples for that fancy curly maple stock we buy. I wouldn't be surprised that some of us have gunstocks that are stolen property originally.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

There's a ring of tree thieves that operate in the Northwest They mainly steal maples for that fancy curly maple stock we buy. I wouldn't be surprised that some of us have gunstocks that are stolen property originally.

Ugh. What an ugly thought.

Most folks think of timber theft as a distant crime that happens someplace else away from people 'in the woods.' 
The 'Northwest,' even. 
 
Our theft was very local. It was an intimate offense conducted on generational family earth against the most vulnerable 
of our elderly family members. It offended past generations' investment of care, present generations' rights, and denied 
future and rightful heirs their legacy. 

That black walnut was right out the back kitchen door of Granny's. It covered generations of my wife's family as they farmed, 
lived, loved, and grew up. They all played in its shade and used the nuts every year. It was part of their psyche. It would 
have been fitting had they harvested it and made some family heirlooms from it as they sold the rest into the community 
for other great builds.

(Simmers...) An intimate, intrusive, indecent theft is what it was. I'd like to shoot the bastards and I, generally, don't want to 
shoot anybody. I have never had the urge before or since. I am glad I will never know who they were. Bastards.

I don't want that kind of tainted wood in my guns.

(Yeah, yeah. I know Bob is right. It does not mean I like it.)

 

[patocazador]

"That black oak was right out the back kitchen door of Granny's."


You did mean black walnut, right?

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

"That black oak was right out the back kitchen door of Granny's."


You did mean black walnut, right?

LOL I do, yes. Blinded by fury, I guess. Thanks for letting me know. 
I have corrected the typo.

Nothing quite like being wrong during a righteous rant to restore a little humility. 

 

[Buck Conner1]

Nothing quite like being wrong during a righteous rant to restore a little humility. 

That is funny KC ...      :lol:  :afro:

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

No kidding that's a beautiful stock! I wonder if he glass scraped that stock or used sand paper? Looks super clean.

Thanks, Buck...

FG? I don't know anything about glass scraping. How exactly is that done:?: 

Also, if one were to find/be offered wood, how can you tell if it is usable:?: 
I mean, it is not like it looks that nice before the work... and its a lot of work 
to do if its not worth it...

 

[Buck Conner1]

I use a piece of old window pane, wear gloves and break the glass, (just like you use to do when a young man).

Take a piece of the broken glass that has a straight edge for a few inches (nothing hanging down that would gouge your wood). This will act like a draw knife using the sharp edge at a slight angle. You lightly drag this tool following the grain of the wood. You'll see it removed just a small amount with each pass. Use a sample piece of wood to get your method down, hope this helps.

 

[Two Feathers]

No kidding that's a beautiful stock! I wonder if he glass scraped that stock or used sand paper? Looks super clean.

Thanks, Buck...

FG? I don't know anything about glass scraping. How exactly is that done:?: 

Also, if one were to find/be offered wood, how can you tell if it is usable:?: 
I mean, it is not like it looks that nice before the work... and its a lot of work 
to do if its not worth it...


Kentucky Colonel
As for scraping wood. It's pretty easy. You just find or break a window pane :shock:
Then hold the Glass.... with a rag or gloves, Safety first... at 90 degrees to the wood and use it like a cabinet scraper. Pull the glass lightly toward yourself with steady even slight pressure and watch for fine shavings or curls of wood come off. It takes a little getting used to to get it perfect, but well within the capabilities of any "wood butcher". If I can do it...You can do it. You'll get the nicest, cleanest, glass smooth finish you've ever seen. I've been doing it since the 70' ( that's 1970's) :slaps:  When the glass gets dull just move to a new section. If you want to get adventurous break the glass to expose new cutting edges! I keep a few different pieces here, some straight, some with curved edges for inside curves.
After using this method, you'll wonder how you ever did wood finishing any other way! This works great for taking the old finish off of a stock for refinishing too.
God bless:
Stoney

 

[Randy Johnson]

Beautiful stock. That blank he had was worth some big $$. Over 10 years ago my MIL sold a black walnut chest of drawers that was painted over and looked like crap. They gave her $250 for it to use the black walnut for veneers. She probably could have got more if she knew what the stuff was worth.

A fellow in Indiana planted 20 black walnut trees when he got married. By the time his kids were ready for college, he cut one that had been there for a while before he bought the land. Several outfits bid on it before it was cut and he made enough to send his kids through college. The 20 he planted will send his grandkids to college.

Due to Thousand Cankers Disease those walnut trees might not live until his grandchildren go to college. Walnut is going the way of the American elm and chestnut.

 

[Buck Conner1]

In 1955 my father and uncles (his brother-in-laws) tore down a grist mill built in the early 1800's. The first part of the take a part was the grinding stone which turned out to be a real chore with its size and weight. A slide was built out of old walnut planks to slide it out of the building. Once the stone and all the hardware was removed the next operation was to start removing the soiled wood floor, it turned out to be old growth black walnut planks 6 inches thick and 18 to 20 inches wide. Once they had been removed the area was alerted to an auction of what had been removed at this time. My dad said when the word got out about the walnut every cabinet, furniture builder for 4 states around showed up for the sale. The smaller pieces he saved to use for whatever (2 X 6 and 2 X 8 about 6 foot long). That lumber served many different projects, when one project was no longer needed it was used for something else. A couple of those projects were a coal bin then moved to being doors on a garden shed and finally were made into table tops. Fun memories. :Red tup: